Interesting prompts ...
to start a conversation going ...
as and when you might need one ...
a diversion to talk about

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Bran Tub # 9: Boxty or Drop Scones ... or both ...

We will start with Drop Scones … these would be for tea …
replenishing us kids after playing for hours in the garden … a filler before supper later on …

Drop Scones definitely needing some butter

… small thickish pancakes drizzled with butter … leaving that
to soak through, while keeping warm in
the bottom oven of the Aga, as more layers of scones were made …

Aga - our first one was like this ...

I don’t remember adding extras – such as bacon, or fruits, or
syrup … we had that (well the golden syrup) with Cornish Cream on Scones …

Boxty brought drop scones to the front of my memory bank … as
I watched a Michael Portillo Great British Journey across Ireland
recently. When he attempted to make one: he made a horrible looking
mess of a Boxty … ?! it is meant to be
of a smooth, fine grained consistency … but his was lumpy - an appropriate
descriptive name: see below.

Boxty

Boxty is the traditional Irish potato pancake – which came to
the fore during the potato blight of the 1800s.

The Irish landscape of Connaght

In the 1840s the poor made up 75% of the Irish population of
around nine million … and potatoes were eaten both by the Anglo-Irish gentry
and the mass of the people – which was unusual … as the potato was shunned in
Europe.

The potato had been introduced in the second half of the 16th
C (1500s), initially as a garden crop, before it came to be the main food crop for the
poor.

Irish potatoes

As a food source, the potato is extremely valuable in terms of
the amount of energy produced per unit area of crop and is a good source of
many vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin C when fresh.

Potatoes were widely cultivated, but especially by those at a
subsistence level; the diet of this group in the 1840s depended mainly on
potatoes supplemented with buttermilk.

Irish Lumpers for sale in Fortnum and Masons -
not where I thought I'd find Lumpers!

This over reliance on potatoes as a staple crop meant that the
people of Ireland were vulnerable to poor potato harvests. The first Great Famine of 1739 was the result
of extreme cold weather …

… but the famine of
1845 to 1849 was caused by potato blight that spread throughout the Irish crop
of a single variety, the Lumper. It was
devastating to the population … many died.

A sort of similar raised bed of potatoes
to be found at North Carolina State Uni

The ‘Irish Lumper’ has been characterized as a “wet, nasty, knobbly old potato” … but
has recently been reintroduced to schools in Ireland – as a project of
historical education - they are being cultivated in raised garden beds, just as
they used to be grown.

Boxty that formed the main meal for so many Irish peasants in
the mid 1800s … had various regional names eg ‘poundy’ … but it is essential that it is of a fine consistency so make sure the raw potato is grated finely ...

59 comments:

Oh! But they look like pancakes/crepes! I never realised I'd been making drop scones all this time! Though mine are much thinner, probably. I've always longed for an Aga...I wonder how the Irish potato pancake might differ from latkes? Most of what I learned about the Irish Famine came from living in Montreal -- where so many emigrants from Ireland eventually arrived...

My grandmother used to make zucchini pancakes.Boy, am I hungry! Great post, Hilary :-)

@ Rhonda - I agree the smoked salmon does sound good. The drop scones are thicker mixtures than a pancake mix ... while the Boxty has the potato - there were plenty of recipes ... so enjoy the cooking thereof!!

@ Deniz - they are like pancakes/crepes ... but the mixture is thicker and they're smaller rounds .. but you get those pock marks as the mixture cooks from below ... but they are good for a tea-time snack. I know I'd love an Aga - my brother has one ... and so do other members of the family ... but not me!

I'd think they are very similar ... and having looked up latkes - they are exactly as you say ... there are many variants from Eastern Europe too. I imagine there's a lot of history in Montreal ... including that of the Irish emigrants - when they 'eventually' arrived ... history is fascinating - horrific at times, but fascinating ...

Oh yes zucchini pancakes - they'd be delicious too ... I've just made a cup of coffee to take away my hunger pangs! Good to see you here ...

@ Lynn - hash browns would be similar ... we used to do that with left over meat, or corned beef ... and called it "bubble and squeak" ...

Thanks so much ... everyone is now hooked on baby pancakes - boxty, latkes ... and it must be nearly Shrove Tuesday (pancake day for us) ... yes it is the 28th February ... might do a post! And I am still hungry! cheers to the three of you - Hilary

My father's family came to America from Ireland during the 1850s because of the famine, and my mother's family came in the early 20th century to escape more hard time in their beloved homeland. Potatoes have always been a staple in our house, but the only time that I have had a potato pancake was at a restaurant named Molly McGuires. They were yummy.

@ Alex - no French fries, or chips, or crisps or boiled new potatoes, or roast potatoes ... we would definitely miss those tatties.

@ Arleen - how interesting ... I thought I might find a family who felt the need to escape the famines ... and again your mother's family ... so difficult - and some went out and then returned - that must have been worse. I think many families have potatoes as a staple ... Molly McGuires seems to be an Irish restaurant chain in the States - so a good place to try a potato pancake or boxty ...

@ Diane - these would suit you - as they're vegetarian and can be kept that way ... I hope you give the boxty a try sometime soon!

@ Anabel - drop scones are also known as Scotch pancakes ... I couldn't possibly put all the 'names' in ... I'd be here for ever!! I don't think I've ever had an Irish boxty ... but I will now be on the look out for them!

@ Holly - potatoes are a great staple ... baked potato would be my favourite ... but the boxty with salmon looks good too ... I have some smoked salmon waiting for me to enjoy: good choice Holly!

@ Joanne - that's great you like the sound of the Irish Lumper ... and root for all the underdog mishappen veggies ... so do I ... I'm going out for supper, so making do with a cup of tea or two!

Cheers to you all .. Boxty - a good supper dish, or weekend brunch dish ... I think a few of us will be guzzling drop scones, or boxty soon ... thanks for the visit - Hilary

The drop scone looks exactly like a pancake to me, especially in the photo of it with the little bubbles that mean it's time to turn it over. I like pancakes with butter and sugar, though most people seem to prefer Maple syrup.

I must confess, Hilary I hadn't heard of the Boxty before . . . does sound rather nice with the smoked salmon though. Drop scones with butter or a little golden syrup, I have had those before. Good job I've just eaten my dinner or this post would send me straight to the treats box!

Drop scones remind me of our pancakes, and Boxty of the potato pancakes my grandmother used to make. This might make a good combination for dinner! Well, or at least some portion of it. :) Thanks for sharing about this rich and delicious history, Hilary. Have a great week!

My mother made pancakes for our tea at least once a week when we were at school - but it took me ages to find, that the recipe in my cookbook was for Drop Scones ... they're still my favourite treat. Boxty is very popular down the West of Ireland - I never had it until a few years ago near Sligo - but we would have had a lot of potato bread - the mixture of mashed potato with flour and a little milk and salt and pepper and dry fried on a griddle. I must go an look out some boxty and have another go at it.

Your post reminded me of a long ago Welsh friend, she used to make drop scones and feed them to me :) used to put raisins in them too. And also of Van Gogh's Potato Eaters. Didn't know potato cakes were called Boxty, learning for the day - a trip to your blog is always educational.

We do a potato pancake type thingy too - potatoes boiled and mashed, seasoned with a mix of spices, and then shaped into a flat cake stuffed with mashed peas or other veggies, shallow fried. Called Aloo Tikki. Eaten as a snack usually with a tamarind or mint chitney or plain old ketchup. Yum!

@ Liz – they are smaller and thicker … but made a good tea-time treat.

@ Janie – they are similar – but these are potato based so tend to be savoury …

@ Munir – Cornwall hospital … changed a bit, since you were down there … and you’d prefer home food now (I think!) … but I’m glad the post brought back memories of Cornwall for you …

@ Bazza – latkes are so delicious … these are just so much more basic … but I love latkes …

@ Mike – I hadn’t heard of Boxty til the name popped up … isn’t that smoked salmon one looking good – and yes some dry white, and a good green salad – I’d be happy!

@ Suzanne – well nor had I heard of Boxty, but never one to turn a new interesting word down! Reading comments about food is always hunger making … and that treat box can be too near …

@ Paula – they are a little like pancakes … but Boxty are made of potato …

@ Troutbirder – good to meet you and thank you for commenting. Oh dear … well the next time you escape your frozen Tundra – I hope you can search some out …

@ Karen – they are of similar ilk, and oh good – your grandmother made Boxty. I agree a slight change up for dinner – potatoes the Boxty way …

@ Fil – ah this is good: an Irish lady! I was off at boarding school, but I remember making drop scones ... so we must have had them fairly often.

I’d gathered Boxty is more of a local west of Ireland dish … and your potato bread is just a slightly ‘better’ version of the poor man’s Boxty … lovely to eat for a few days, but not as your main diet in the 1800s or times of famine.

@ Jess – it’s interesting how families can experience some things but not others … and potatoes are so versatile. I hope you get a chance to try these two versions …

@ Nila – well that’s great if I’ve taken you back to those days with your Welsh friend and her ‘tea’s’ …

Well you’ve educated me … The Potato Eaters – that would have been an excellent painting to have included here … very evocative of the difficult times … Boxty – great name isn’t it.

I think potatoes offer so much to each country’s culture … your Aloo Tikki sounds delicious … especially eaten with a tamarind or mint chutney … I’ll leave the ketchup … yummy – you are so right …

Cheers to you all – fascinating additions you’ve given us … and loved learning about your thoughts and especially Nila’s The Potato Eaters by van Gogh … which I should have included into the post … so evocative … Hilary

I love potatoes. In fact, most South Africans do:) They have become really expensive here though, but we still love them regardless. The drop scones look delicious. I tried to make scones, and to this day, after several attempts I just can't get it right. They keep on turning out as inedible rocks:)

Potato pancakes,latkes, are a favorite.A neighbor lady kept extras in a cookie jar and we ate them as kids, lots of love went along with them.I tried it when I first made them and like them hot now, think you needed Martha's love to make them taste good. The salmon ones looked real good.When I make the small version of drop scone I call them Baby Cakes.

Hi Murees - I expect most veggies are going to be expensive - we need people to get them to grow and that costs ... thankfully we do love veggies. The drop scones and the Boxty are both delicious ... try these easy boxty that don't need to rise ... good luck and enjoy ...

@ Beste - it's a Scottish name for those little thickish pancakes ... and I guess for kids you'd be right small individual ones ... we certainly enjoyed ours! Now you've got a name ... or two ... or three ...?!

@ Steve - they'd be so good from the griddle ... interesting about them being kept in cookie jars ... but Martha's love obviously worked wonders for you and your siblings. Those salmon ones do look good don't they. Baby cakes - to me sound 'sweet' ... but a good name all the same ...

@ Sheri - yes mini-pancakes drizzled in lots of oozy butter - so good! Boxty as the savoury version does sound good - as do any potato cake varieties ...

Cheers to you four ... Boxty making coming up soon ... pancake day is the 28th ... cheers Hilary

Ah' Boxty yes I had two attempts before getting the right recipe.Better made with Old Potatoes - the thick skinned ones, mash up a few cooked ones mix with fine grated others add 50% in weight of flour, a pinch of salt and blend together with milk. Cook as you say on hot griddle and turn about, when done nicely put out and serve with a large cup of buttermilk. A fine hot meal nicely accompanied by thick slices of home cured bacon.

@ Mel - thought you might recognise these ... and I'm sure I'd struggle with a recipe for getting 'Boxty' right - so thanks for your approach - saves us looking the recipe up. The buttermilk I'm not so sure about ... but the bacon I would definitely have!

@ Betsy - yes different names in different countries ... but as you say both delicious with the buttery topping; potato cakes are always good - yes the Irish DNA ...

@ Patsy - I do use a lot of butter ... things taste better - tangier from the release of salt ... but so good. I'm sure I had a fried egg on my potato cakes in the early days ... now I'd go for smoked salmon. Boxty is an Irish name - I just 'picked' up when listening to the railways programme! Different in that Boxty came out of the famine period ...

@ Elsie - you'd need to be in Ireland ... though I'm sure you could get them in special Irish pubs or restaurants. Ok - dinner it is ... you can add so many extra ingredients now-a-days ... at least we don't live in times of famine - thankfully.

Thanks so much ... looks like Boxty and Smoked Salmon will be around for a while ... enjoy! Cheers Hilary

This is lovely, to find a recipe for boxty. I'm Irish, living in India and with the cooking facilities in my house being somewhat basic, living in a community where the oven is never used, I was over the moon recently to have mastered the art of baking soda bread in a microwave. This is my next cooking project as I never made boxty at home in Ireland. BTW I think you're rhyme is slightly wrong. What about this?

Boxty in the griddleBoxty in the panIf you can't make boxtyYou'll never get a man

As kids, we girls were always being told we'd 'never get a man' by the nuns at school if we were untidy and the like. It always had to do with not being up to the mark with the old housework :(

Mmm... such a delicious post! I've just about every ingredient in my pantry! Now if only I could cook ;-) Interesting, if tragic, history. I imagine it would be the same if we ran out of pinto beans, here by the border.

hi grandblogmom! wow...another interesting post. and..another mom memory for me. mom used to use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato cakes. she would fry up onion and garlic with spices, stir it into the potatoes and fry it into potato cakes. they got nice and brown on both sides and the edges were real crispy. they were soooo good. add a little sour cream and...yum! i never had drop scones. they look delish. i'll have mine with some strawberry jam please. yikes! your post sure made me hungry. i never heard of an aga so googled it. it was invented in 1922 by the nobel prize-winning swedish physicist. a physicist should know stuff about heat. not so sure about cooking. ha ha ...hugs

I love drop scones and they are so simple to make, I used to make them for my children after school. Pancakes were another favourite of course. If you buy drop scones from the supermarket they are so rubbery, it could put you off for life mind. I have never tried a Boxty, it sounds very filling. I have learnt something new - you are doing your job well X

I tried to comment on your blog and each time my text disappeared ! I just wanted to say that I adore scones ! I even find them here, and buy them from time to time. What surprised me really was to read that the Irish also make potato pancakes ! That's one of the specialities in Germany ! I ate them as long as I can think and love them. And it was the same just after the war when nobody had something to eat, my mother and her sister went through the fields to collect potatoes the farmer had left and my grandma made the potato pancakes. As there was no oil she once did it with castor oil she got for me !! Apparently it was awful ! but when you are hungry you eat everything. I can't remember that. So now we have to find out who made the pancakes first the Irish or the Germans.

You also find them on all Christmas markets ! I serve them as starters I make them very small with different things on the top, and as the Belgian don't know them, it became "my" speciality ! When my son was still living with us I once made 20 potato pancakes and thought we would have for at least two days. When I came in the kitchen an hour later, the both father and son had eaten them all !!

@ Jacqui - many thanks ... I just like to write about different things. The scone isn't what I would call a scone either ... we just have 'different names' for things ... and these are from a thick pancake mix ... I try desperately to stay away from donuts and similar!

@ Maria - oh there were recipes when I looked around ... I just don't put them here, because everyone will interpret them differently. Well done on mastering how to make soda bread and in a microwave - I'd need to be told how to use the microwave too!!

The rhyme has different variations - I just put one up .. but thanks for this ... oh gosh I'm glad we weren't told that as kids!! Housework is never nice at any time ... and messy rooms as kids were fun!!

@ ACIL - the famines must have been terrible to live through or to experience and then decide to emigrate - a big risk ... successful for some ... others never got there, and some returned ...

@ Diedre - yes the history is sad and very difficult at times - no change today. I guess the pinto beans are so essential to the way of life down south in USA or Mexico. Perhaps you'll have a go at making some Boxty sometime?!

@ Lenny- you're back ... so good to see you. Oh yes, potato cakes were a standard when we grew up - my Mom also made them!! But with sour cream - that I agree just makes things that extra special ... especially if it's a savoury dish. You could have some drop scones with strawberry jam and cream?!

The Aga is a wonderful way to cook - well I think so! Yes ... but did you know that Swedish Physicist was blind ... and he wanted to help his wife, as she struggled to constantly fuel the fire for their earlier cooker - this was in the early 1900s ... I wrote about it in my 'Cookery A - Z series':A is for Aga ... but congratulations and so glad you looked it up - well done.

http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/a-is-for-aga.html

@ Baili - thanks for coming by ... potatoes are really delicious aren't they - I always enjoy a meal with them ... all varieties.

@ Rachna - so good to see you too ... the drop scones taste so good especially for the kids!

@ Deborah - aren't they simple to make - I'm sure if I had kids I'd have been making them too. Oh the bought things are really not up to scratch are they - rubbery alternatives. I hope you give Boxty a try sometime ... glad you enjoyed the post.

@ Gattina - sorry you couldn't get your comment to show ... Blogger does it sometimes ... why I've no idea.

Fascinating to read your side of life on famine with your family ... I'm sure in the War we were doing the same here .. I understand the people who weren't in the Forces, were working the land, or in the factories had much less to eat ... and had to scratch a living from the hedgerows. Cooking them in castor oil - revolting thought!!

The idea of serving them as starters makes sense - with lots of different toppings! Oh yes I can believe that happened with your husband and your son ... kids! Makes for good stories later on ... made me laugh ...

Unfamiliar with both Hilary although I know a lot of the history of the Irish and potatoes. I think their Enlish overlords had a lot to do with that. We used to have crumpets which look a bit similar. Dad had a crumpet factory for a while. I love the idea of Boxty with smoked salmon and Sour Cream. Yum. I don't know if I ever ate a potato pancake but certainly never heard the word Boxty before. That picture of the Aga looks like the one my mother had many years ago. I used to hate having to look after it if they went away. It was coal fired.

I suppose the blini is the modern equivalent to drop pancakes. Almost everyone who comes to my place starts the evening with them with cream cheese, smoked salmon and caviar. Yummy. It can't be too long before we get Jersey Royal spuds. Love 'em dripping in butter and covered with chopped mint. Now I'm hungry!

@ Jo - Irish history sometimes is interlinked with British history, but they definitely had their own culture. I love crumpets .. gosh I'd have loved to have had a father who had a crumpet factory! Yes - the Boxty with the smoked salmon and sour cream looks good ... the Boxty is an Irish name and dish. Oh yes the coal fired Agas ... ours was like that too ...

@ Keith- I think you're probably right .. just different names and slightly influences from other cultures. They are great starters ... and I'd be happy with those for starters. Oh yes Jersey Royals ... must be soon - simple food, but so so good - I happily eat them that way too.

Scones aren't pancake like - it's just the name difference that occurs especially here in Britain ... as we have the Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English take on things - let alone all the other areas!

Shortbread like crescents with jam sound delish! ... but I love marmalade - though I normally have fresh scones, drop scones etc with just butter ... unless Cornish Cream is around - then that changes things!

@ Theresa - back in the 1700s and in the 1800s for a while that's all the peasants had to eat ... I'm sure the Jewish ones started the same way - just we've got alternatives now ... latkes, boxty and other names.

Smoked salmon on a bagel is similar to the smoked salmon with sour cream on a boxty ... or any morsel that can fit the mouth!

Scones - yes are also delicious, but I do prefer them for tea ..

Cheers to you all - we can mix and match with Boxty, potato cakes and drop scones ... just enjoy them that's the main thing ... and thanks for commenting - Hilary

I've read much about the Potato Famines as it had a lot to do with the great Irish migration to the States. The scones look so much like pancakes. I'm not overly fond of potatoes in any form so I would likely skip the Boxty.

They both look so yummy. Unfortunately, I love them both equally and would eat them for breakfast and dinner if I wasn't careful. When my boys were young, I would add chocolate chips and raisons to my scones. They still talk about them.

I love the potato pancakes or boxty and I would love to eat one with that smoked salmon yum. Here we call them however potato rosti. You can buy these drop scones here as well but they call them pikelets (if it is the same). I love them.

@ Susan - yes that's right lots of Irish came over to the States at the potato famine time. Different names for things ... gosh it's unusual to find someone who doesn't like potatoes ... and therefore quite understand you'd skip Boxty ...

@ Nas - I'm afraid I do too - all food is rather good. Smoked salmon on Boxty is something I'm going to try sometime ...

@ Maria - pleasure to come over ... and another smoked salmon and boxty fan! especially with sour cream ...

@ Susan - no worries - good to see you ... a boxty on the griddle would be good and as you say a big dollop of sour cream, or creme fraiche or even Greek yoghurt ... with lots of smoked salmon ...

I'm glad you picked up on the Lumpers being available at Fortnum and Mason ... I wonder if they still are ... I'll have to check in!

@ Shannon - they do sound good don't they ... and we all have slight variations in the foods we cook ... so your potato pancakes would be similar ... but the sour cream doesn't seem to change!

@ Joylene - I'd do the same ... eat them at all times. THose chocolate chips and raisins in your scones would be delicious ... childhood memories .. wonderful.

@ Marja - they are similar to potato rosti ... but being made in the days of the famine. Yes - drop scones we can buy too ... and they are called pikelets ... a type of regional crumpet ... but for you in NZ it's a type of pancake ... muddling isn't it!

Cheers these names are so easy to 'muddle up' we know what we're talking about - but if we chat to another person in a different country or different region ... it is likely there'll be a muddle! It's like a language with lots of dialects ... essentially the same, yet different and of course difficult to understand! Thanks everyone - Hilary

I love potatoes! I'd never heard of boxty (great word), but we have something similar in Sweden called a raggmunk (potato, flour, milk, and sometimes egg). It's traditionally eaten with pork and lingonberry jam (Swedes put lingonberry jam on everything.)

Hi Sara - they are a very good 'meal' aren't they. Thanks I couldn't resist Boxty either ... but Raggmunk -is pretty special too ... that was fascinating to look up in Wiki ... led me to all kinds of things! The combination of raggmunks, with pork and ligonberry sounds good - presumably a 'sour' jam ... good to read about a Swedish link. Cheers Hilary

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About Me

A lover of life – who after London, spent time in South Africa; an administrator, sports lover, who enjoys cooking and entertaining ... who through her mother’s illness found a new passion – writing, in particular blogging; which provides an opportunity for future exploration, by the daughter, who has (in her 3rd age years) found a love of historical education. Curiosity didn’t kill this cat – interaction is the key!